Please excuse my absence, I've been abroad two times and had a few hectic weeks at work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaiho
OP, I am at the other end of your spectrum. I am an American but work for a European company. With my role, I can pick just about any Western European country and settle there. Sweden is a bit difficult for my employer for it has very pro-employee friendly laws. Now, whilst compensation is better for US contracts, the benefits are just so much better for European contracts. My wife and I are considering moving to Europe because we know whilst we may make 30-40% less and won't have the fastest cars or the biggest homes, we will have much more time for ourselves. Also, if in the unfortunate situation that we are in bad health or end up in a situation where we go through a layoff, we will be taken care of in Europe whereas we will have to fend for ourselves in the US.
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I'm a firm believer that it's positive to move around to widen ones perspetive of the world.
If you love to be outside hiking, walking, camping and have a lot of spare time you will love it here.
Just be prepared of the dark winters and the somewhat cold people.
If you want some help with which areas to go for or just general advice, please feel free to PM me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jelenap
Many good posts here. As others, I commend your positive attitude.
Not to discourage you but a word of caution. Do not confuse tourism with immigration. Having a good job or some kind of entrepreneurial talent (backed up by some money) is a key to having a decent life here. Without a degree and local experience, it might be more difficult for you to find a job. You can burn through savings very quickly with the expenses that Europeans don't always expect.
As others noted, credit history is very important. You will have none. No one will trust you and everyone will want deposits, cash upfront, etc., something many Americans don't renember or don't deal with. I had a job already when I moved, so at least that part was easy. Then it started. Want to rent an apartment? Deposit 1.5 times rent. To get to the office need a car. We could only afford an old junk for 2k. Cost as half as much in repairs the first year. No public transit. Phone, cable - deposit, deposit, deposit. A friend gave us a mattress to sleep on, thankfully. Unexpected visit to a doctor - $150.
After a year, I had to almost blackmail our bank into giving me a real credit card. Things got much easier after that and eventually we arrived at the American dream with a mortgage, a kid, a cat, etc.  Sometimes we laugh when remembering the old times but then sleeping on the floor in America was still so much better than life in the country where you did not know if you'd have a running water today. So in your case - think twice since you'll be leaving what sounds pretty good situation.
Bring the whole lot more money than 3 month expenses. And try to find someone to help you settle. I'm eternally grateful to the friend from work who gave us a mattress and helped with advice and in any way he could. On a bright side - there are many good and kind people here. And in general, US is more welcoming to the foreigners than, errr, Sweden.
Good luck and keep us posted! |
Thank you for your input!
I know that tourism is a whole different ball game, and as I have mentioned before I will not stay if I'm unable to get a job that I'm happy with. I'm prepared to take a step down from what I earn today, but I will not be flipping burgers at Mcdonalds!
I have been using an American Express credit card since May to build up my credit score, apparently it's the only card in Sweden in which you can transfer the credit score to the states. So hopefully that won't be much of an issue. I will bring 50k$-ish and that should hopefully be sufficient for a few months.(?)
I've also joined a Facebook group with swedes living in the states. They help me out with all the small details that could be easy to forget. It's amazing and heart-warming how helpful strangers can be!
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